Folk music clubs tend to have their social service aspects as well as their social aspects. Here in North America, the folk scene is generally based in coffee houses, often church coffee houses, rather than pubs, so alcoholism is much less of a problem than in the UK. Outright psychotics are rare, and they can be dealt with on a case by case basis. The biggest problems are the socially maladept who make other people feel uncomfortable and sometimes even afraid. They include all of the following and then some:

• Know it all braggards and loudmouths.

• People who lack the rudiments of physical hygiene and grooming.

• Would be Romeos, especially the touchy-feelly huggy-kissy kind.

• People who suffer from Asperger's syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders.

• Biggots who get off on putting people down because of their ethnicity, sexuality, religion, disabilities, etc. Often they do this with what they think of as humor, and then berate their targets who "can't take a joke."

• Control freaks who insist that everything be done their way or else not at all.

• Elitists who get off on putting people down for not knowing as much about traditional folk music as they do.

• Just plain jerks, assholes, and pricks.

There is no one effective way of handling them. I do know of cases where someone is assigned a buddy who can tactfully tell the person when he (almost always) or she (very rarely) is acting out of line. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't.